Bethel Strict Baptist Chapel

W i m b l e d o n

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This site contains historical information on Bethel Strict Baptist Chapel, Wimbledon, LONDON

Articles of Faith

This Strict Baptist Christian Church "Bethel" Is Based Upon The Doctrines of Free & Sovereign Grace

1. God; Trinity & Unity

2. The Divinity & Perfect Humanity of The Lord Jesus Christ

3. The Divinity & Personality of God The Holy Spirit

4. The Fall of Man (Total Depravity)

5. Unconditional Election To Salvation

6. Particular Redemption As Opposed To Universal Salvation

7. Effectual Calling of the Elect Sinner By God The Holy Spirit

8 . Final Perseverance, Preservation, & Glorification of All the Elect Church of God in All Ages.

9. Justification of The Elect of God By The Atoning Work of Christ.

___________________________________________________

This Strict Baptist Christian Church observes

The Ordinances of Believers Baptism By

Immersion & Also The Ordinance of The Lord's Table

Which Is Administered To Members Of The 

Same Faith & Order Only. In A Word It Holds To 

Strict Communion. It Holds That Faith,

Repentance, & Baptism Are Necessary To Admission To The Table of The Lord.

Minutes of Meeting to officially form Zoar Chapel 

Conveyance and Trust Deed of Bethel Baptist Chapel (formerly known as Merton Rd Baptist Chapel which was previously known as Zoar Chapel)  Pages 3 & 4 shown

Trust Deed and Duties of Trustees

 Is your church being true to its original articles of faith?  Do the current pastor and members of the church know its history? Do they respect their predecessors’ sacrifice of time and money in establishing the church and their struggle to ensure its survival and spiritual prosperity?

Churches should from time to time examine their Trust Deed. A Trust Deed is a document that relates to the original foundation of the church and sets out the reasons why the church was first set up. It is not always readily available and some, which are over 100 years old, are handwritten on parchment and very difficult to read. They can  run to several sheets, each measuring about 3 feet by 2 feet.

A deed is a written and signed document which sets out the things that have to be done or recognitions of the parties towards a certain object. Under older common law, a deed had to be sealed; that is, accompanied not only by a signature but also with an impression on wax onto the document. The word “deed” is also most commonly used in the context of real estate because these transactions must usually be signed and in writing.

  A typical Trust Deed written about one hundred years ago of a “Strict and Particular” Baptist Church would be worded as follows: Clause 1 “The doctrines preached or otherwise set forth by all Ministers or other persons officiating in the services or giving any religious instruction upon the Trust Property shall be founded upon the sole authority of the Holy Scriptures and that interpretation of them which is held by the aforesaid denomination called Particular or Calvinistic Baptists and which is usually called Evangelical as distinguished from Rationalistic or Unitarian views on the one hand and from Sacerdotal or Romanist views on the other hand.” Part of another clause states, “Every such permanent Minister shall be a Member of the Denomination of Calvinistic or Particular Baptists holding to the Doctrines referred to in Clause1 and shall maintain and practise the Ordinance of Believer’s Baptism by immersion …”

A trustee is a person who holds property rights for the benefit of another through the legal mechanism of the trust. A trustee usually has full management and administration rights over the property but these rights must always be exercised to the full advantage of the beneficiary. All profits from the property go to the beneficiary although the trustee is entitled to reimbursement for administrative costs. There is no legal impediment for a trustee to also be a beneficiary of the same property.

The following information is taken from The Baptist Corporation Limited Guidelines B.1 (04/2005) Church Trusts, Model Trusts and Property Trustees:

 "Most churches have a building or other premises as their place of worship from which they reach out in mission to their community. If the question is asked, ‘Who owns the church building?’ the answer will probably be that the church does. In many ways that is true but there are legal implications of property ownership which need to be considered in more detail. Legally, the ownership of the church premises (what lawyers call the title) will be in the name of trustees. The trustees may be private individuals who are, or were, connected with the church. More usually the trustees will be a Baptist Trust Corporation, such as the Baptist Union Corporation. The trustees ‘hold’ the property for the church. The purposes for which the property is held are in a legal document and are called ‘trusts’.

  TRUSTEES

The earliest ownership of Baptist chapels and meeting houses – or plots of land for building them – would have occurred soon after the first Baptist churches were founded in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. It would not have been possible for a church to own land or buildings so trustees would have been appointed. These would have been men – never women in those days – of standing in the church or, perhaps, in a neighbouring church. The number of trustees varied but there were usually between nine and twelve. It was important for the trustees, and the church, to be clear about the conditions – or trusts – which applied to their ownership.

  CHURCH TRUSTS

Often these trusts would be set out in the legal document which passed ownership of the premises

to the trustees or in a separate trust deed. We call these the foundation trusts. If a church has occupied a chapel, or other premises, for many years the trusts which apply to the church will often still be set out in the document prepared at the time of the original purchase. The earliest foundation trusts were quite short, simply stating that the premises were to be used ‘as a place of worship for a congregation of Protestant Dissenters called Baptists’ or something similar. As Baptist life developed so the foundation trusts became more detailed containing things such as:

�� A doctrinal statement.

�� Rules for the appointment of a Minister

�� The qualifications for church membership.

�� Rules for the calling of Church Members’ Meetings.

�� The powers of the trustees to borrow money for the construction of buildings and their right to sell the premises, perhaps in exchange for other property.

�� How new trustees were to be appointed – usually including how many there must be.

�� Instructions about what would happen if the church closed and who would benefit from the proceeds of sale if the premises were sold (this is known as the ultimate trust).

No standard form of trust was used but because of the traditional interdependency of Baptists marked similarities can easily be identified in many trust deeds. Where the church has later sold the original chapel and purchased other premises the same trusts will normally apply because money from the disposal of one site has been used to purchase a new site.

  FOUNDATION TRUST DEEDS

Foundation Trust Deeds make fascinating reading but they are not merely a historical curiosity. The diaconate, (Church leaders) as Managing Trustees, ought to know what they contain because they often still apply to church life today."

There were and still are practical difficulties in churches appointing and keeping trustees especially for those with few members. For this reason corporations were set up to act as trustees.

In order to honour and respect the original Trust Deeds, the pastor, elders, deacons and members of the church along with the trustees ought to periodically monitor the situation and in particular take seriously any allegations made against a church concerning a breach of the Trust Deed. It is the duty of the trustees to investigate and take any necessary action to uphold the Trust Deed.

If it is found that pastors and church officers have broken the Trust Deed they ought to resign or  be dismissed and replaced with persons who would be willing to adhere to the legal document. Alternatively, the building could be sold, perhaps to the occupiers, who may then honourably run the church how they like and set up a new Trust Deed that will reflect their true position.

It is unfortunate that in recent years, pastors and missionaries who are supported financially from overseas, have come to the UK and taken advantage of small struggling churches. Faced with a choice of survival or death of a church, a few remaining and perhaps elderly members are too hasty to appoint a pastor whose doctrinal position is not the same as theirs. Once the elderly members have died, the link with the past is broken.

These small churches are vulnerable to being taken over by well-financed missionaries from abroad. The description “independent” when applied to non-conformist churches is really an illusion if they are in reality dependent on external income in order to support a pastor? If this external income is coming from a source that is opposed to the original Trust Deed then there is bound to be conflict.

This is where the stronger like-minded churches, affiliations of churches such as the FIEC, Grace Baptists, Gospel Standard Baptists and organizations such as Bible Colleges, Trust Corporations and Missionary Societies which are sympathetic to the Trust Deed should help the weaker struggling churches. Therefore, there is an advantage in belonging to a fellowship of churches with the same articles of faith.  

Pastors and Secretaries of the Church  

(The following information was obtained from old Grace Baptist Directories and other sources. No information on Bethel appears after 1994 in the Directories)

 Pastor Crispin was the last British pastor of Bethel who understood and preached the "Doctrines of Grace" according to the true sense of the Trust Deed.

Mr Crispin's Induction at Bethel in 1970                                           Obituary of Pastor Crispin who died in 1974

Obituary of Pastor Parker who died in 1955

An honest deacon, Mr Royall, resigned in Feb 1956 because he no longer believed that Christ died only for the elect as required by the Trust Deed and Articles of Faith 

My Dear Bro Mayo & Sisters beloved in Christ Jesus,

Arising out of matters lately heard amongst you, I feel that it is now laid upon me to place before the church a brief confession of my changed doctrinal position with regard to some of the more important aspects of the sacred scriptures of truth.

As a result of a most careful investigation of these subjects, in humble and prayerful dependence upon the deeper teaching of the Spirit of God, I find myself no longer able to give assent of heart and mind to that view of the Scriptures which limits the scope of the saving work and power of the Lord Jesus Christ to the church only, that body of elect and gathered out believers who partake of a present salvation by grace through faith.

Whilst maintaining that none can enjoy this present salvation in this administration of grace, except by faith in the Saviour's finished work at Calvary, I believe that He will, as the judge of of mankind, and through the corrective process of judgement, ultimately accomplish the declared purpose of God to reconcile all things unto Himself, both things in Heaven and things on earth. Col 1.20 that He will ultimately deliver the whole creation from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God, Rom 8.21, and that He will ultimately deliver up to the Father a restored and worshiping creation, subject at His feet in love, praise and adoration, that God may be all in all, 1 Cor15.28.

In this dual aspect of the saving power of He whom the scriptures set forth as the Saviour of the World, I find conflict between the teaching of the church that He is the Saviour of the elect, and the express revelation of the scriptures that He is also the Saviour of all men. 1 Tim 4.10

I also believe these truths to be clearly taught and affirmed in the epistles of the apostle Paul, and are set there for the obedience of our faith. A long and patient study of these things in the original tongue only confirms abundantly what is so clearly set forth in our authorised version.

It naturally follows from these things, beloved, that I am no longer to subscribe to the teaching of the church on the endlessness of God's judgements upon the wicked, or what has come to be accepted amongst us as the doctrine of Eternal Torment. It is apparent that if this theory is true then our glorious Lord cannot be the Saviour of all men, and the scripture is broken, and we must each reconcile this dilemma to the satisfaction of our conscience before God in the light of the deeper teaching of His Word.

I recognise that the doctrinal basis upon which the church is constituted reqiures that all members must give that assent to this dogma of Eternal Torment, which I can no longer do, and I realise that in conformity to its own rules, the church can now do no other than separate me from their communion. In my desire to spare the brethren needless pain in this matter I therefore hand back to the church both my office as deacon and my church membership.

I do so, beloved, in no spirit of pride or high mindedness, but with due meekness and solemnity of heart, sorrowing greatly that a matter of conscience should be the only matter of division between us.

I rejoice, however, that the everlasting bonds forged between us as joint members of the body of Christ can never be severed by a man-made creed.

Our unity in Christ is the work of God in His purpose of Grace, and what God has joined together no man can put asunder.

In that day when we shall all appear before Him when we shall know, even as we are known, these ordinances of man will seem things of moment in the light of His transcending love for us all.

I anticipate with joy the coming of that day when truths for which I must I must now suffer reproach will be gloriously and triumphantly vindicated.

That God, may abundantly bless you each individually, and cause His work at Bethel to grow and prosper, is the prayer now, as ever, of your 

Friend and Brother in Christ Jesus,

C W Royall

Merton Road Baptist Chapel officially changes its name to "Bethel Strict Baptist Chapel" in 1945

The building in "The Broadway" formerly known as "Merton Road" was owned by another Baptist Church. This church bought a piece of land nearby in Queen's Rd, upon which they were to build a new church. CH Spurgeon and his brother James helped Zoar Chapel, which was in Church Street (also known as Church Rd), Wimbledon Village, to buy the building in Merton Rd. in the area, then known as, New Wimbledon.

Zoar Chapel is re-formed as "Merton Rd Chapel" in 1891

Zoar Chapel was independent and autonomous. It consented to the doctrinal basis of the Gospel Standard and was therefore included in their list of churches until October 1936. There was no mention of Zoar / Merton Rd Chapel after 1937.

Personal details of the letter below have been deleted.

After 1937 Bethel was listed with the "Strict and Particular Baptists" later known as "Grace Baptists".

Obituary of Zoar Chapel's first Pastor who died in 1870

                Bethel is listed in the Grace Directory of Churches 1993